Gems News Ind

Wednesday, 26 August 2020

India Deployed Troops Equipped With Shoulder-Fired Air Defence Missiles in Ladakh

Indian forces have deployed troops equipped with shoulder-fired air defence missiles on the crucial heights in Eastern Ladakh in view of the presence of Chinese attack helicopters in the sector.

India had already deployed quick reaction air defence missiles, including the Akash missile system in June in Ladakh, which can take down fighter jets and armed drones in few seconds. It was modified to make it suitable for deployment in the high mountainous terrain.

Now, Indian troops armed with the Russian-origin Igla air defence system have been deployed on the crucial heights along the border to take care of any enemy aircraft trying to violate the Indian air space there.

The Russian-origin air defence systems are used by both the Indian Army and the Air Force and they can bring down enemy fighter jets or choppers which come close to Indian locations or deployments during hostilities.

The air defence systems of the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force have been deployed in Ladakh to take on any aerial threat. India has also filled in its surveillance gaps to ensure that no enemy aircraft would be able to go undetected from the eyes of its defence forces.

Meanwhile, Indian Army chief General MM Naravane said on Tuesday that Indian Armed Forces would have to put adequate emphasis on the available disruptive technologies that have dual use and are being driven by commercial entities and innovations.DC

Raigad Building Collapses: Death Toll Stands at 13 Rlderly Woman Rescued From Debris

At least 13 persons have been killed and nine injured in the building collapse in Mahad town of Maharashtra.

Meanwhile, a 60-year-old woman was rescued on Tuesday evening by the NDRF from the debris of Tareq Garden building, 26 hours after the incident. Mehrunnisa Abdul Hamid Kazi was trapped under the rubble of the five-storey building which collapsed on Monday evening. Kazi lived on the fifth floor of the building, an official said.

After noticing some movement under a portion of the debris, personnel of the National Disaster Response Force succeeded in pulling her out by 9.35 pm, and sent her to hospital.

Earlier, the NDRF had rescued four-year-old Mohammad Nadim Bangi safely from the rubble 19 hours after the incident.

Tuesday, 25 August 2020

Amaal Mallik Basts Salman Khan fans who Trolled Him for Calling Shah Rukh Khan His Favourite Actor

Music composer Amaal Mallik lashed out at Salman Khan fans for trolling him, calling them ‘idiots’ and saying that he will not ‘take s**t’ from anyone. It all started when Amaal called Shah Rukh Khan his favourite actor during an Ask Me Anything session on Twitter.

When asked to say a few words about Salman, Amaal called him a ‘superstar and a great entertainer’. However, he said that his favourite actor was Shah Rukh. This led to him being massively trolled by Salman’s fans. Shah Rukh’s fans, meanwhile, launched a counter-campaign on Twitter -

Amaal has been replying to his trolls on Twitter. On Monday, he lashed out at them, saying that while he respects Salman for giving him his first break, he will not ‘take s**t from his fans or any one’. He wrote on Twitter, “Aaj duniya ko dikh gaya what is the aukaad (Today, the world can see what is the stature) of these uneducated #Bhaitards. It all started with me saying #Srk is my fav actor, and these idiots went crazy. I respect #SalmanKhan for the launch he gave me, but that doesn’t mean I will take s**t from his fans or any one.”

James Anderson Becomes First Pacer to Take 600 Test Wickets

Jimmy Anderson has entered the exclusive “600 Club.” The England paceman became only the fourth bowler — and the first seamer — to take 600 wickets in test cricket on Tuesday by dismissing Azhar Ali in the third test against Pakistan.

After England captain Joe Root took the high catch at first slip off the Pakistan captain to give Anderson his prized wicket, the 38-year-old fast bowler was mobbed by his teammates.

Then Anderson took the ball in his right hand and — with a cheeky smile — saluted all sides of the Rose Bowl, which is without spectators because of coronavirus restrictions. England coach Chris Silverwood applauded on the boundary edge.

Anderson, who is playing in his 156th test, is fourth on the list of all-time leading wicket-takers in tests. Only retired spinners Muttiah Muralitharan (800), Shane Warne (708) and Anil Kumble (619) are above him.

“Massive effort from a great fast bowler,” Kumble, the former India legspinner, wrote on Twitter. “Welcome to the club.” Anderson is the second quickest to get to 600 wickets, taking six balls more than Muralitharan, but it could have come much sooner.

He was dropped four times in 37 balls either side of Pakistan’s overnight change of innings between Days 3 and 4 of the final test of the series. He took his 599th wicket — that of Abid Ali — near the end of Monday’s play, before bad light stopped play.

Covid Curve Dipping in Hyderabad, Says Official

The Covid-19 pandemic in areas under Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) is showing signs of gradually coming under control while in districts, the curve is expected to drop by September, senior health officials on Tuesday said.

A combination of factors including aggressive testing, treating moderate and severe cases at the right time to avoid fatalities and spreading awareness among he general public on Covid-19 precautions played a significant role in keeping the new infections under control, Director of Public Health, Dr. G Srinivasa Rao said.

There are clear signs that in areas under GHMC, the positive cases are decreasing while the numbers have increased in districts. There is a semblance of control over Covid infections in GHMC areas while it will take some more time, hopefully by September, to control the situation in districts,” he said, while interacting with media persons here on Tuesday. TT

Petrol Prices Hiked and Diesel Prices Unchanged Today in Hyderabad, Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai

Petrol and Diesel prices today, 25 August 2020: The petrol and diesel prices after remaining steady for a month have be on increasing side from last couple of weeks.

While on Monday, the petrol prices have once again hiked at four major cities. However, diesel remained steady. Meanwhile, the crude oil prices have rose in the international market. Brent crude rose 0.16 percent to $ 44.73 a barrel while WTI crude oil rose to 0.97 percent to $ 41.62 a barrel.

Going by prices, in the national capital Delhi, petrol prices are holding at Rs. 81.73 per litre with 11 paise hike and diesel prices steady at Rs. 73.56. The petrol prices in Hyderabad continued at Rs. 84.94 with increase of 11 paise and diesel remained steady at Rs. 80.17.

In Chennai, the petrol price per litre costs Rs. 84.74 with a hike of 10 paise and the diesel is priced at Rs. 78.86. The situation is similar in Mumbai with petrol prices while by 11 paise at Rs. 88.39 and the diesel prices remained at Rs. 80.11. HI

Andhra Government Cancels Lease of Granite Units of TDP Leaders Over Illegal Quarrying in Prakasam

The government of Andhra Pradesh led by chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has given a rude shock to the TDP leaders in Prakasam district.

The government issued orders canceling the lease of the granite company belonging to the two leaders. Addanki MLA Gottipati Ravi Kumar and former MLA Potula Rama Rao's license of granite business have been cancelled citing defects in the operation of quarries.

Five quarries belonging to MLA Gottipati, six quarries belonging to close associates and one quarry belonging to Potula Rama Rao has been cancelled.

In addition, fines have been imposed in the past for irregularities in granite excavations. Recently, the Andhra Pradesh government has issued orders canceling the leases. TDP leaders, meanwhile, are expected to approach the High Court as soon as notices of termination of leases are received.

MLA Gottipati and former MLA Potula Rama Rao were formerly in YSRCP. In the 2014 elections, Gottipati contested from Addanki of Prakasam district while Potula Rama Rao from Kandukur on YSSRCP tickets. The two then joined the TDP in the presence of Chandrababu Naidu. Later in the 2019 elections, two of them contested from TDP where Gottipati Ravi Kumar won and Potula Rama Rao lost.

The two quarries have also been inspected and fined in the past.

Miner Finds 442-Carat Diamond That May Be Worth $18 Million

A small diamond miner that has dug some of the world’s most valuable gems from a mountainous African kingdom has found another huge stone.

Gem Diamonds Ltd. said Friday it had an unearthed a 442-carat diamond at its Letseng mine in Lesotho. While it’s hard to establish a price for such stones before cutters can evaluate them, it could sell for as much as $18 million, Edward Sterck, analyst at BMO Capital Markets, wrote in a note.

Given the rarity of such large stones, demand for big diamonds has traditionally been resilient, even at times when the wider industry has struggled.

The Letseng mine is famous for the size and quality of the diamonds it produces and has the highest average selling price in the world. Two years ago Gem Diamonds found a 910-carat stone, the size of two golf balls, that sold for $40 million.

The recovery of this remarkable 442 carat diamond, one of the world’s largest gem quality diamonds to be recovered this year, is further confirmation of the caliber of the Letseng mine and its ability to consistently produce large, high quality diamonds,” Clifford Elphick, Gem’s chief executive officer, said in the statement IE

Active cyoronavirus Cases in India Decline After Record Recoveries

With 60,975 people testing positive for coronavirus infection in a day, India's COVID-19 tally rose to 31,67,323, while recoveries surged to 24,04,585 pushing the recovery rate over 75.92 per cent, according to the Union Health Ministry data.

The total active cases in India declined by 6,423 after a record 66,550 patients were cured in a day on Monday.

The death toll climbed to 58,390 with 848 fatalities being reported in a span of 24-hours, the data updated at 8 am showed.

The COVID-19 case fatality rate has declined to 1.84 per cent

There are 7,04,348 active cases of coronavirus infection in the country which comprises 22.24 per cent of the total caseload, the data stated.

India's COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7.

According to the ICMR, a cumulative total of 3,68,27,520 samples have been tested up to August 24 with 9,25,383 samples being tested on Monday.LM

Monday, 24 August 2020

Former Pakistan Pacer Likely to Replace Misbah-ul-Haq As Chief Selector after England Series

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is not happy with the work done by Misbah-ul-Haq as the chief selector of the national team and wants him to step down from the post to make way for a former fast bowler to take over. Misbah was appointed in a dual role as head coach and the chief selector of the Pakistan national team last year. However, PCB now wants to relinquish Misbah of the chief selector role after Pakistan's tour of England.

As per a report in PTI, sources in Pakistan Cricket Board have confirmed that the board is in talks with a high-profile former fast bowler to become the new chief selector. Misbah will continue in his role as the head coach of the national team. His appointment in the dual role as chief selector and head coach had raised a lot of eyebrows last year with some former players also criticising PCB.

“The PCB now feels that it is best if the burden was reduced on Misbah and allow him to focus on his job as head coach as there are a number of important ICC events coming up in the next three years,” a source was quoted as saying by PTI.